You'll Always Be Here
by marsbarr
Summary: Kate reads his note. He left her. Forever.   Just a one-shot! Reviews please.


"Hey, Castle...  
>It's been..a week...I told myself I'd never come here because it's just too painful." she grimaced,<p>

"But then I thought again, if I never came I'd just be lying to myself. I keep saying that I'm fine.. and that I don't need to see you," she looked down, fighting away tears.

"Until Alexis gave me your note. She told me that for some reason you knew that something was going to happen to you. You just had that feeling so you wrote me a note. I started reading it, but I couldn't finish."

She knelt down, her knees feeling the grass. Kate didn't realize how weak she felt till she finally relaxed into sitting down next to his tombstone.

"So I decided to come here, and read it." her voice shook as she started to read Castle's long note.

_"Kate,_

_I'm writing this to you because I know how dangerous this case we're working on is. If something was to happen I want to make sure that I left with the right words."_

Kate suddenly felt the tears making their way down her cheek,

_"I know you wanted me away from this case but that won't stop me. I'm your partner. Just like Ryan and Esposito, I'm there with you till the wheels fall off._

_If this was going to be our last case, I wanted to make sure that I told you..that I love you._

_I've loved you from day two. Not necessarily day one because I didn't really know you, but I wanted to know you more. _

_Kate..this is so hard to write... Can you believe that? Mr. Big-shot writer can't find words to write to the most wonderful woman on this planet."_Kate let out a little laugh,

_"If there was something to happen, take care of Alexis."_ She began to cry again, _"Let her know that I'm sorry. I'm sorry for leaving her and I'm sorry for letting her down. And you... If you ever.. If you do feel the same way about me.. Try to push those feelings away? I don't want you to live life through grief.._"

Kate paused, she ran her hand down her face, trying to compose herself.

_"Find a good man. Someone that would respect you, someone that would love you for you. Of course he can't be as ruggedly handsome as I am."_Kate smiled letting more tears run down her face.

_"Just know, that even if I'm gone.. Looking inside your heart... I'll always.. **Always** be there."_Kate started to sob. The fact that Castle was certain he was going to die made her mad.

Its like he was giving up before he could even try. She put the note down. She couldn't handle reading the last paragraph. She thought back to the night she last saw her partner, alive.

* * *

><p>"CASTLE! stay back! Don't get involved. Stay where you are."<p>

Castle took two steps. He was trying to position himself close to Kate. The man was aiming his gun at her. The man who had her mother killed. Kate didn't realize that he had a helper.  
>He was hiding behind a dumpster to her left. Castle was trying to put himself on Kate's left side but she wouldn't let him budge.<p>

"You're just like your mother. Hard-headed." the man hissed.

"I would shut up if I were you." Kate shot back.

"Or what? You'll shoot me? You can't shoot me."

"I don't have to. You can drop the gun, and we could handle this smoothly."

"So you think you could take me to prison? No. I don't want that, Detective."

"It's either prison, or your death bed."

The man stood there; thinking.

"I'm going to have to go with my death bed,"

Kate raised her gun more, aiming straight at his chest.

"But wait, if you're going to take my life.. I'm going to have to take one, too." he gave her an evil smirk, and raised his gun but then put it down.

"Although, I don't need to do that on my own,"

Still trying to process what the man was saying, Kate finally heard a gunshot. By reflex, she pulled her trigger and shot him. She shot the man that killed her mother.

She had the feeling of a heavy weight being lifted off, but then felt another weight when Castle fell back on her left shoulder.

"Castle!"

"Kate..." he whispered, "There was..there was another guy."

Tears were finally making their way to Kate's eyes but she quickly wiped them off.

"Why? Why did you do that?" she caressed his face,

"He would have shot _you_."  
>"Castle," she whispered, "You're going to be ok. Paramedics will get here and you're going to be okay," she started fidgeting for her phone. Her hands wouldn't stop shaking. Here he was, Richard Castle; laying on her lap. Spending his last few seconds.<p>

She was putting pressure on the gunshot when she heard his faint voice,

"Ka.." He swallowed, "Kate,"

"I'm here Castle, I'm here." she pulled his hair back, revealing his sweaty forehead. She was now crying.

"Rick.. Stay. Please. Just a few more minutes. They'll be here,"

"Too..long."

"No no it's not! You can't leave! You can't leave Alexis!..No.." she brought her forehead to his, "You can't leave me."

"I'll always..be here." he whispered, "I love y-" and soon his hand dropped from Kate's arm.

"Castle?" Kate was suddenly gushed with more tears than ever.

Never in her life, would she have thought that the man who took away her mother's life..would take away hers,too. Castle was her life, now. She loved him. And now, he was gone forever.

* * *

><p>Thinking about that night, Kate didn't realize how hard she was gripping the note. She suddenly loosened as it was starting to tear in the corner. She then continued to read,<p>

_"I hope I died..fighting for something or someone I love. I hope I dont die because some weird animal attacked me or if I was ran over by the billions of people in Time square,_"  
>Kate sighed, he was..writing his death letter yet he still manages to crack jokes. Typical Castle.<p>

_"I hope you're not mad at me. I never want to leave you Katherine Beckett..but if the universe says I have to..I respect the universe. I love you, Kate. I wish I can say it in person, over and over again. **I love you**. Our adventure was great..more awesome than I ever imagined. Now go, ..and start a new one._

_Your WriterBoy,_  
><em>Rick."<em>

Kate folded the note and stuffed it in her pocket.

She looked at his grave. She ran her hand across his name.

"**_Richard Edgar Castle_**" but she didn't mind that name. She focused her eyes on the name below it.  
>"<strong><em>Richard Alexander Rodgers<em>**"

"You will meet an Alexander, and at some point he will save your life." she quoted the prediction of Penny, months ago.  
>"I <em>did<em> meet an Alexander.." she said to herself, "And he _did _save my life.." she wiped away her tears, "But you didn't mention that he'd sacrifice his for mine." she said as if she was talking to Penny.

She started to sob again. She stood up,  
>"I miss you, Castle." her eyes not leaving his tombstone. "I wish you never left. God..How I wish you'd just pop up outta there and tell me it was all a joke." she sniffed, "You left.." her tears flowing down her face, "You left me."<p>

Just then, a breeze whooshed by, leaving a flower petal on Kate's cheek. She took it and held it in her hand.

A smile slowly formed across her face and she laid her hand on the left side of her chest, "But you'll always be here."

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: This has been roaming around in my brain lately... Just a one-shot.. Needed to get it out there. :)**_


End file.
